Prejudices, first series by H. L. Mencken
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"Prejudices, First Series" by H. L. Mencken is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. The work critiques various cultural and literary figures, showcasing Mencken's biting wit and critical perspective on American society and its literary landscape. The central themes revolve around the role of the critic, the nature of literature, and the pulse of American thought during a time of significant social change. The opening of the collection
begins with a discussion of literary criticism, where Mencken highlights the ongoing debate among critics about the function and purpose of criticism itself. He refers to Major J. E. Spingarn's views on the critic's role, arguing that a critic should focus on understanding an artist's true intentions rather than imposing moral or aesthetic judgments. Mencken critiques the varying schools of thought within literary criticism, illustrating his disdain for those who use rigid standards to evaluate art, and ultimately advocating for a more nuanced and personal interpretation of artistic works. This sets the tone for the pieces that follow, as Mencken continues to explore themes of authenticity, moral pretentiousness, and the essence of American culture through his incisive critiques of both individuals and overarching societal trends. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1880-1956 |
|---|---|
| Title | Prejudices, first series |
| Contents | Criticism of criticism of criticism -- The late Mr. Wells -- Arnold Bennett -- The dean -- Professor Veblen -- The new poetry movement -- The heir of Mark Twain -- Hermann Sudermann -- George Ade -- The Butte Bashkirtseff -- Six members of the Institute: The Boudoir Balzac. A stranger on Parnassus. A merchant of mush. The last of the Victorians. A bad novelist. A Broadway Brandes -- The genealogy of etiquette -- The American Magazine -- The Ulster Polonius -- The unheeded law-giver -- The blushful mystery: Sex hygiene. Art and sex. A loss to romance. Sex on the stage -- George Jean Nathan -- Portrait of an immortal soul -- Jack London -- Among the avatars -- Three American immortals: Aristotelean obsequies. Edgar Allan Poe. Memorial service. |
| Credits | E-text prepared by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (archive.org) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 58.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Literature -- History and criticism |
| Subject | American literature -- History and criticism |
| Subject | American essays -- 20th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 53538 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-53538-8 |
| Release Date | Nov 16, 2016 |
| Last Update | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1094 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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